Consumed cocaine

Olympic athlete surprises with cocaine confession

Oskar Edlund has confessed to using cocaine.(Bild: APA/AFP/JULIEN DE ROSA, instagram.com/edlundoskar)

Will this confession have any repercussions? The Swedish hurdler Oskar Edlund has publicly admitted to having used cocaine before the start of the Olympic Games. "I'm incredibly ashamed," says the 21-year-old, recounting a wild "party night". However, his start in Paris is not in jeopardy.

"It was a party night when the season was over. I was offered a cocaine test, which I stupidly did," Edlund told the newspaper "Expressen". He was sentenced to a small fine for the incident in Sweden last December. "I was extremely devastated, incredibly sad and depressed. I was incredibly embarrassed afterwards. Mainly to those closest to me, but also to those who look up to me as a role model."

It is still unclear what consequences the confession will have for the bronze medal winner at the 2023 European U23 Championships. The Swedish Athletics Federation (SFIF) and the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) "only found out about it a few days ago", said Edlund.

"As there is no doping offense, he is allowed to compete in Paris"
He is allowed to compete at the Olympics. Although cocaine is listed as a banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), he did not test positive during a competition. "We are of course taking the incident very seriously. Cocaine is neither compatible with sport nor with Olympic values. But he received a fine from the Swedish legal system last year. He has clearly apologized for his actions. As there is no doping offense, he is allowed to compete in Paris," explained SOK head Peter Reinebo.

The Swedish Athletics Federation has offered Edlund the support of a psychologist. Although athletics captain Kajsa Bergqvist condemns the action, she also wants to support her colleague: "Oskar is very remorseful and my job now is to look after him both as an athlete and as a person."

The preliminary heats of the 400 m hurdles are scheduled for August 5 in Paris. Edlund qualified for the Olympic Games with a time of 48.70 seconds. This puts him in 35th place in the world rankings.